Rally to Save Schools in the Jefferson Cluster

Last week, the Portland Public Schools announced its plans to close another school in Jefferson Cluster in North and Northeast Portland. Jefferson cluster has been systematically undermined by the district by the transfer policy, and constant school-closures, re-configuration, and lack of support. Last year, two schools (Tubman and Humbolt) were closed suddenly, without any discussion or community process. While the district justifies these closures by under-enrollment, it allows half the students who live in the cluster to transfer elsewhere. While most of the families who live in Jefferson Cluster are white, the vast majority of the students in our schools are of color. The district's transfer policy has created a segregated school system, and its plans for "balancing" the cluster will only intensify this problem.